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Dazzle us with your best silver accessories and clothing!

Come one, come all! Dazzle us with your best silver accessories and clothing to celebrate the history and impact of the Student Lighting Competition (SLC), dedicated to founder Patricia DiMaggio. The freshest faces in today’s lighting industry will gather at the Marset USA Showroom for light bites and libations. Networking starts at 6:00 pm, with a guest speaker Clay Mohrman at 7:00. There will also be a chance to vote on ideas for the 2027 competition theme! 

The annual IESNYC Student Lighting Competition will take place at LEDucation in April. Students from the New York City design and architecture programs are invited to participate in a city-wide design challenge that highlights the transformative power of light in the built environment. Over the years, the hard work of the committee has elevated new voices in our industry. Many of whom are industry veterans that drive our industry today.

GUEST SPEAKER

Clay Mohrman, a 2025 Student Lighting Competition Grand Prize winner from the New York School of Interior Design brings creativity and curiosity to the spotlight. Co-host of the popular "Will It Lamp?" series with Rory Shamlia, Clay will bring the show off-screen with a live, hands-on demonstration.

Will it Lamp? is a collaborative series and channel created by Burlington,VT -based designers Clay Mohrman (Clay Mohr Lighting) and Rory Shamlian (Rory Pots). Launched in November 2024, the project asks a simple question — “Will it lamp?” — and then answers it by turning thrift-store finds and other cast-offs into striking, fully wired light fixtures.

Today, the duo reaches 200K+ followers across all social platforms, using their growing audience to further a mission they care about deeply: lighting education. Each episode talks about the basics of lamp wiring, fixture design, and practical tips for using light to shape homes and workspaces. Their hands-on demonstrations — delivered with the banter of real-life friends — encourage viewers to see discarded objects as raw material and light as a design tool.

Their lamps are as much about storytelling as they are about design, often revealing the hidden charm of overlooked objects. Clay and Rory are committed to helping people understand how to use lighting intentionally, both aesthetically and functionally. The project continues to evolve, with workshops, pop-ups, and brand collaborations expanding the reach of their creations.

Visit: willitlamp.com
Follow on Instagram: instagram.com/willitlamp_clayandrory

About the IESNYC Student Lighting Competition

The IESNYC Student Lighting Competition is dedicated to our founder, Patricia DiMaggio. The SLC Committee strives to uphold Patricia’s goals of education, community, and friendly competition. Having grown from eight students in 2000 to more than 100 students today, it is a legacy which will continue to grow with all your support. 

One of the goals of the IESNYC is to promote education and greater awareness about the importance of lighting, and the Student Competition is one of the contributors towards these efforts. Since 2000, SLC has invited students from New York City art and design schools to participate in a citywide design competition. The program empowers students to explore light as an art form, demonstrate light as a stimulus, and prove light as a valuable medium.

Every year, students in lighting, architecture, interior design, art, product design, photography and electrical engineering programs have submitted projects, resulting in a diverse showcase of ideas and interpretations on a single theme. The IESNYC Student Competition has been incorporated into the curriculum of lighting classes in several area schools and has piqued an interest in lighting design for close to a thousand design students to-date.

—SLC Committee Co-Chairs Craig Young, Ventresca Design, and Shaun Fillion, NY School of Interior Design / RAB Lighting

Please Note: Your attendance at this event constitutes your agreement to allow the IESNYC to use your name/image/voice in Section promotional materials.